4RunnerINprogress
New member
So I never got around to getting my own build thread going because I was always waiting to bust out my Canon DSLR from the closet and going to a nice scenic place. But those 2 things never happen at the same time. I am by no means a photographer because 1. I hate lugging that big camera around even though it takes super nice photos and 2. I never plan on going anywhere scenic, it just happens. On 99% of these photos are going to be my camera of choice (iPhone) since it is always on me. That being said I was introduced to this awesome SUV when my buddy picked up an 03 4th Gen a couple years ago. I instantly fell in love and picked up a 2004 SR5 4WD shortly after. Very shortly after that, the itch began. A basic lift, came to another, and another. I shortly learned the quote "Buy once, Cry Once". About 10 months into doing more reading through the forum, I found a great deal on a 2015 SR5 4WD. I couldn't pass it up, so my 4th Gen ended up with my brother in law. So here we go.
Here are some photos of my 4th Gen:
And then the start of the 5th gen build begins:
1st night home: It was a late night coming home from the dealership which was an hour away from me and I couldn't figure out where any of the buttons were.
So the next morning I woke up and took a few more shots.
1st Upgrade would be the easiest...made a local stop to DDM Tuning since I am about 10 minutes away from there. Replaced all interior and exterior lights with LEDs. Picked up some 35watt 4300k headlights and some 6k LED fogs.
My Little Helper...
Night Shot:
Then this thing came. Was not planning to get it so early on, but since I found a good deal on it I couldn't pass on it:
A few days later on the 405 freeway, I got a F&$%*** rock chip...so I visited my good friend at A&D Glass. He hooked it up in about 20 minutes, filled the crack but I still have a battle wound. Luckily it was on the very bottom of the windshield below the wipers.
I then decided to visit my friend at Rhino Customs in Huntington Beach and got a CQuartz Ceramic Wax done. I also had my suspension installed by them. I ended up piecing together oddball deals that I found everywhere. Ended up with Bilstein 5100s front and rear because I was happy with them on my 4th Gen. I ended up picking up the Toytec 3" spring kit during black friday 3" FJ Lift w/ front & rear coils
I had some time to kill and decided to stop by my powder coat guy and had him powder coat the springs red.
I then thought about the "Buy once, Cry once"....so I ended up picking up some Camburg Upper Control Arms as well. After some research, I ended up choosing to go with the balljoints because I wanted less maintenance and less squeaks which I heard were some complaints about the uniballs. So here are some of those photos.
I picked up some TRD Pro wheels while the car was getting detailed and suspension work from another Black friday deal and was shopping tires. As soon as it was ready for pickup, I drove straight from Rhino to American Tire Depot as they gave me the best deal. Added some Duratrac 285s because I liked them on my 4th Gen.
Here are some photos of my 4th Gen:
And then the start of the 5th gen build begins:
1st night home: It was a late night coming home from the dealership which was an hour away from me and I couldn't figure out where any of the buttons were.
So the next morning I woke up and took a few more shots.
1st Upgrade would be the easiest...made a local stop to DDM Tuning since I am about 10 minutes away from there. Replaced all interior and exterior lights with LEDs. Picked up some 35watt 4300k headlights and some 6k LED fogs.
My Little Helper...
Night Shot:
Then this thing came. Was not planning to get it so early on, but since I found a good deal on it I couldn't pass on it:
A few days later on the 405 freeway, I got a F&$%*** rock chip...so I visited my good friend at A&D Glass. He hooked it up in about 20 minutes, filled the crack but I still have a battle wound. Luckily it was on the very bottom of the windshield below the wipers.
I then decided to visit my friend at Rhino Customs in Huntington Beach and got a CQuartz Ceramic Wax done. I also had my suspension installed by them. I ended up piecing together oddball deals that I found everywhere. Ended up with Bilstein 5100s front and rear because I was happy with them on my 4th Gen. I ended up picking up the Toytec 3" spring kit during black friday 3" FJ Lift w/ front & rear coils
I had some time to kill and decided to stop by my powder coat guy and had him powder coat the springs red.
I then thought about the "Buy once, Cry once"....so I ended up picking up some Camburg Upper Control Arms as well. After some research, I ended up choosing to go with the balljoints because I wanted less maintenance and less squeaks which I heard were some complaints about the uniballs. So here are some of those photos.
I picked up some TRD Pro wheels while the car was getting detailed and suspension work from another Black friday deal and was shopping tires. As soon as it was ready for pickup, I drove straight from Rhino to American Tire Depot as they gave me the best deal. Added some Duratrac 285s because I liked them on my 4th Gen.
My buddy also got me some tire valve caps for Christmas as a joke because I am a big TRD fan, so I said why not....
This was a total nightmare. Luckily the only damage to me was just the bumper. Took like 6 months for her insurance company to pay for everything. Got a brand new bumper replaced and had to drop it back off at Rhino to get a new CQuartz coat put on.
